Informal recruitment is the process of recruiting potential new hires through personal relationships and social interactions, rather than through more formal channels like advertising or campus events. This type of recruitment is often used by fraternities and sororities, as well as other student organizations, in order to find new members who fit their specific criteria and who they think will be a good addition to their group.

Informal recruitment typically begins with current hires reaching out to their personal networks of friends, family, and acquaintances to see if anyone is interested in joining the organization. If someone expresses interest, the member will usually invite them to come to an informal event, like a coffee date or lunch, to learn more about the organization and get to know the members. If both the potential new member and the organization feel like it would be a good fit, the new member will go through a more formal recruitment process and, if accepted, will be initiated into the group.

Informal recruitment can be an effective way to find new hires who are already interested in the organization and who fit the group’s criteria, but it can also be very exclusive and difficult to scale. Because it relies on personal relationships and social interactions, it can be hard for organizations